


It's All True

by Nymeria578



Category: Lucifer (TV)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Smut, F/M, Introspection, POV: Chloe Decker, Post-Season/Series 03 Fix-It, Sets immediately after the events of episode 3x24
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-04
Updated: 2019-01-06
Packaged: 2019-10-04 05:11:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 14,285
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17298413
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nymeria578/pseuds/Nymeria578
Summary: Sometimes a lie is the best way to hide the truth.In the aftermath of Lucifer’s forced revelation, her world shakes to the very foundations and Chloe realizes the consequences. However, before she comes to a decision, she confronts the Devil with a truth he hasn’t expected.





	1. Truth

**Author's Note:**

> As I’m always late to a party, I binge-watched “Lucifer” just recently. After 3x24, I got all the feelings after such a cliffhanger. So I started writing, although I haven’t put pen to paper since two years. It took me four weeks to get the hang of it again. Hopefully, you’ll like it.
> 
> The fic is completely written (14k words) and edited. It contains three chapters. I’ll post one chapter each day after rereading them one last time.
> 
> Please note that English is my second language. Since this fic isn’t proofread by a native speaker, you might find some minor mistakes.

“It’s all true,” Chloe’s breath caught in her throat, her voice husky as she reiterated the words.

With wide eyes, she stared at the man – the Devil – in front of her. He wore the same clothes like Lucifer, was the same height and spoke the _Detective_ in the same British lilt like her partner.

For a split-second, her mind refused to process the picture.

Lucifer’s creamy skin, his warm black-brown eyes as well as his dark well-trimmed stubble and hair had gone. Instead, a monster had appeared.

A _monster_!

Burned skin marbled in red and crimson hues over his face and hands. A hundred charred scars snaked over his head. His eyes blazed in the shades of his skin. And yet, she saw her shock reflected in them. An asking look of not understanding why she seemed so alarmed.

Lucifer clenched and unclenched his fists at the sides. Nervous, he tilted his head, trying to grasp her anxiety. But when she failed to answer, he dared to speak up, “Detective, I understand what this must look like…” his flaming eyes fell on Pierce, stabbed with a demon dagger into his heart.

At this, her brain caught up. Lucifer had killed Pierce along with his accomplices. Pierce, who had tried to shoot her. How did he accomplish this?

Lucifer fidgeted while Chloe still didn’t respond before he knelt down to retrieve the dagger from Pierce’s chest.

And then he saw…

The blade blotched with blood, the same color of his hand. A tremor shook his body, and his other hand hovered over the scarred flesh. Disbelief whispered from his lips, “No.”

Chloe swallowed, building up her courage. This was still Lucifer Morningstar, the owner of Lux she came to know.

She took a step forward.

“No!” Lucifer said, his voice razor-sharp, conveying a warning as he held up a finger to stop her from coming closer. His hand reached for his face, stroking over the skull as if to comb through his hair.

How had he not noticed the change? To get his skin seared like this must have hurt tremendously.

“I’ve murdered him,” he whispered, pain in his voice about the sin.

Chloe took a sharp breath at the confession. “You defended yourself.”

His crimson eyes flashed at her, and she nearly recoiled at his anger. “No. I wanted him to be dead.”

Slowly, she fathomed what had happened here while she made her way back from the roof. Soon, the police would arrive. It was a trap turned into a crime scene with the culprits dead and no witness.

Lucifer straightened, dagger clenching in his fist. “I need to get away.”

Fear evaporated, she acted on instinct, striding toward him. Her shoes clicked on the marble floor. “Lucifer?”

“No,” he flinched as if afraid of her. “I can’t stay.”

Chloe sighed. Of course he was right. What would the police or Dan and Ella say if they found him like this?

She nodded, a quick jerk with her chin.

Her approval was all he needed, and so he turned around, darting for the exit.

Fleeing.

Once his dark outline disappeared, a sob hitched in Chloe’s throat. Her hand flew over her mouth to stifle the sound.

Lucifer had always told the truth. He was the Devil.

Her feet dragged her to Pierce’s body – Cain, the sinnerman. A single tear dropped down her cheek, not to mourn the Lieutenant, but for failing to trust in Lucifer so to put him into that predicament.

She knelt down beside Pierce, contempt boiling under her skin. All around them, dust had collected, and splinters of wood from stray bullets grazing boxes scattered on the floor.

So, too, were… feathers.

With Lucifer face to face, Chloe had been so absorbed as to not notice her surroundings. The circular room was all but coated with dazzling white feathers.

Not just white.

In front of her knee lay a single downy feather the size of her hand. But the soft fine inner vane had been sullied by blood. Shaky fingers reached for the sign of divinity. Her eyes filled with tears once she understood that this was Lucifer’s blood. The dark red still oozed from the shaft.

A tingle shivered along her fingers and warmed her palm when she picked up the feather. Somehow, it soothed her while tears streaked down her face.

In the distance, she heard sirens wailing, announcing SWAT. With her sleeve, she dried her tears, sniffing to regain control over her emotions. Right now, she needed to be the Detective, helping to wrap up the case about a terrorist organization with the sinnerman as the head.

With a gentle grip, she cupped the feather and slid it with great care into her jacket pocket while she went through several scenarios to explain the crime scene.

Time ticked away as she made her mind. Several cars screeched to a halt in front of the building followed by boot clad feet stomping down the hallway. “Armed police!”

“Clear!” Chloe shouted, still kneeling beside Pierce.

As a precaution, the SWAT leader turned around the corner. After assessing the situation wherein Chloe was the only survivor and seemingly didn’t pose a threat, the man raised a hand to signal his team.

Chloe held up her badge to identify herself. “Chloe Decker from the L.A.P.D.”

The masked man nodded. “What happened?”

Chloe’s eyes fell to her lap where she held a knife, taken from one of the dead culprits. “I killed Lieutenant Marcus Pierce as it became apparent that he was the sinnerman, head of a terrorist organization.”

“Are you hurt?” More people rushed into the room, one of them calling a forensics’ team by radio.

Chloe clipped her badge to the belt before she reached up to the neckline of her shirt to pull the hem a fraction down. “He shot at me.”

“Call an ambulance,” the man ordered over his shoulder. Then, his eyes roamed the room. “Did you kill the other men, too?”

Chloe followed the man’s gaze and swallowed. “No. At some point, they started to go for themselves.”

The man acquiesced in Chloe’s report and pulled his face mask off his head. Sweat beaded his forehead, sticking his short hair to the skin. “How imprudent of you to go alone! You could’ve died.”

“Guess I had a guardian angel.” Another sob threatened to bubble up her throat.

“All right. Let’s go outside,” he extended his hand in case Chloe needed support. “There’ll be an ambulance by now.”

Chloe put the blood-smeared knife down and took the man’s offer, grateful since her legs buckled.

After that, everything happened in a haze. A paramedic examined her chest where a caliber of nine millimeter had hit her bullet proof vest. Not until then did Chloe realize how much her rib cage hurt. As she took off the vest, she saw a bright bruise already shimmering in purple. Later, they would take an x-ray to be sure nothing was broken.

Eternity seemed to stretch while Chloe focused on the physical pain that constricted her breathing. But was it really physical pain? Beneath her ribs, another ache sent forth tendrils, twining around her heart which made her choke on her own emotional turmoil. She grabbed her jacket in her lap, a protective hand resting on the pocket where she had hidden the feather.

“Chloe,” her name tore her from staring into emptiness before she noticed who was standing in front of her.

“Ella?” How long have she been sitting in the ambulance?

“Oh, God.” Ella climbed into the car, hugging her best friend. “You’re safe.”

“ _Ouch_.”

Ella stepped back, face contorted in dismay. “You’re hurt?”

“Just a bruise,” Chloe pulled at the neck of her shirt to show the evidence.

“That’s a ballistic trauma,” Ella’s voice got up by an octave.

“Got shot.”

“Pierce?”

Chloe shook her head. “But he gave the order.”

“That bastard!” Ella seethed with rage.

“He’s dead,” Chloe shrugged her shoulders, surprised by the lack of empathy for her ex-fiancé.

“Lucifer?” Ella’s question aimed for who had killed Pierce, but Chloe avoided her probing eyes.

“He left,” her voice felt coarse, so she veered off for a safer topic. “Where’s Dan?”

“After we knew this was a trap, we split up. Dan brought Barrow to the precinct, and I called SWAT before heading here.”

_Dan_. Her ex-husband and friend, who had lost his newfound love Charlotte, got his revenge.

“All right,” the paramedic turned up at the open doors to the ambulance. “We’re ready to go.”

To reassure Ella, Chloe sighed. “It’s standard procedure. To be sure they want to take an x-ray. Afterward, I’ll go to the department.”

Ella nodded, “I’ll go with you.”

Chloe lay down on the gurney, on the one side a paramedic and on the other side Ella. Exhaustion overwhelmed her after a few minutes while the ambulance shook rhythmically with the streets tarmac. Yet, she didn’t fall asleep, just dozed, consciousness still gripping at her wakefulness. Although her mind should focus on the case, she couldn’t help but always reverting to Lucifer. The Devil.

What should she do with this knowledge now?

She blinked at Ella. Her silver necklace with a cross at its end dangled from her neck. She believed in God, but befriended Lucifer. This would shake her whole faith.

Chloe on the other hand wasn’t religious, and it surprised her even more that her reasons to be so stunned were of a complete different nature.

***

After another hour and the confirmation through an x-ray picture that no bones had broken, Chloe and Ella took a taxi to get back to the precinct.

Chloe fiddled with her cell phone while Ella called Dan to explain the situation. All the time, Chloe tried to figure out the unsettling numbness which bothered her. To distract herself, she opened her photo collection.

Pictures of Trixie at her birthday showed up, as well as pictures from her bachelorette party with Linda, Maze and Charlotte. She bit her lip at the last friend who desperately wanted to throw a worthy party but then told Chloe a few home truths about whom she didn’t love.

The next photo depicted Lucifer, a lollipop in his mouth, while playing Monopoly with her daughter. Lucifer with puckered lips around the handle as he fought for a top hat. Cozy get-togethers like this had warmed her heart for the man. A new wave of tears watered her eyes. And then she understood. It wasn’t so much that Lucifer actually was the Devil with burn scars in crimson charring his face than the fact that the look in his eyes portrayed hurt and fear. She had never believed his stories, metaphors as she had called them. And now, that the truth gaped at her in a moment, Lucifer couldn’t choose, she responded with shocked taciturnity.

Of course, he fled.

Her fingers hovered over the keyboard for a while, afraid that her message wouldn’t be answered.

_We need to talk._

She hit _send_ before having second thoughts.

After a minute staring at the screen, she locked her phone and let it slide into her jacket pocket when a silky touch reminded her of the feather there. Absentminded, she brushed along the downy plume, the sensation alleviating the tension while looking out of the window. Los Angeles was on its best behavior. The sky of the early afternoon shone in a bright blue, flecked with fleecy clouds. It painted a contrast to the events that happened in the last days.

A sinister change.

An abyss that opened up and threatened to swallow her. This terrible feeling made her numb, increased by the absence of a reply. The man who never shut up, actually kept silent. Only the feather, a vulnerable part of Lucifer, remained and gave her a tiny glimpse of hope.

After half an hour, Chloe was ripped from her rumination as the taxi pulled over to the curb in front of the precinct. Ella paid the driver while Chloe headed for the entrance.

In the silence of the elevator, Ella fidgeted, obviously confused by Chloe’s quietness since they left the crime scene. “You okay? I mean, you’ve withdrawn into yourself.”

“Yeah,” Chloe flickered a smile at her friend. “I’m fine.” The lie parched her mouth, but what else could she say?

Ella pursed her lips. “Don’t worry. Everything will be all right even though it might be a bit awkward in a moment.”

Chloe frowned, “What do you mean?” Surely, Ella didn’t know about Lucifer.

“Well,” Ella beat around the bush. “You know, you and Pierce. Office romance. And now he’s dead.” Her eyes widened as she glimpsed Chloe’s alarmed expression before adding, “That bastard.”

Chloe’s face softened at Ella’s attempt to cheer her up and put a reassuring hand on her friend’s shoulder. “I’m fine.”

The elevator dinged their arrival at the office. While they walked down the stairs, Chloe indeed sensed the eyes of her colleagues on her. Pitying looks which she at once hated since they implied that she fell for a man who deceived her and the world. In that moment, she wished Lucifer was with her, protecting her with his egotistical and arrogant self from those prying glances.

But Lucifer wasn’t here.

Instead, she spied Dan at his desk. He looked flustered, hair messy with strands standing up in all directions. When he saw her, he dropped his pen and jolted up from his revolving chair. “Chloe!” Without waiting, he strode the last remaining steps toward her and drew her in a most welcomed hug. A sanctuary for her churning mind.

“Dan,” she croaked, a lump forming in her throat. Chloe snaked her arms around his back, hanging on to her ex-husband as if afraid that the abysmal events of the day would consume her. “I’m fine,” she repeated like a chant to persuade herself of her mental state.

“No,” Dan whispered. “I know you long enough to see that you’re not fine.”

A smile tugged at the corner of Chloe’s lips. “And I you.”

He nodded, his eyes shining with fresh tears. “You got him.”

“Yes,” Chloe said. “Stabbed him.”

“Got what he deserved,” Dan seethed.

Yet, this wouldn’t bring Charlotte back. She was in Heaven now. According to Lucifer, they would meet her again – one day. Chloe sucked in a sharp breath at the realization that Lucifer had told her the truth. He would never see Charlotte again. For all eternity. It was not all that long ago that they talked about what happened with souls after their death. And once again, Chloe had dismissed those serene words. After witnessing his true face, a shiver ran down her spine at the comprehension of the word _eternity_. Lucifer had been righteously sad.

“Detective Decker,” a voice resounded from behind her.

“Captain?” Chloe turned around to meet the sharp gaze of a man with graying hair. It didn’t come as a surprise for the man to show up in their office after one of his Lieutenants turned out to be head of a terrorist organization and died this morning.

“What are you doing here?”

“I…”

“Weren’t you shot?”

“Oh,” Chloe tried for a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “It’s just a bruise.”

The captain scrutinized her, estimating her mental state. “I want you to go home, take the day off.”

“Oh, please no,” Chloe’s shoulder sagged. Forced to go home and to have all those pictures in her head frightened her. As long as her brain was busy, occupied with her work, she had no time to contemplate the things that had occurred. Although, she desperately wanted to talk to Lucifer, tell him that Pierce was the monster and not him, she needed that load of incidents off her mind first. “I’d like to write my report.”

The captain studied her for a moment before relenting, “All right. But then you’ll take a few days off. Don’t want a good Detective with PTSD.”

Chloe bit her cheeks, but nodded.

“Tell me if you need anything,” he said. “And next time, Decker, I don’t want you to go alone into such an operation. Is that clear?”

“Yes,” Chloe said, omitting she wasn’t alone. A quick glance to Dan reassured her he hadn’t mentioned their civilian consultant in his report.

They waited until the captain disappeared into the elevator, and Chloe flopped into her chair. Several folders piled up on her desk. Each one held a different color, a remnant of Lucifer’s erstwhile help. Chloe hadn’t told her partner, but she kept his system after solving the problem with the graffiti thanks to him.

“Where is Lucifer anyway?” Dan asked after Ella disappeared into her lab.

Absentminded, Chloe stroked a yellow folder. “He left,” she reiterated the words she told Ella.

“What do you mean _he left_?” Dan whispered, propping his hands on her desk.

 Dan wasn’t as yielding as Ella. “Something happened.” Chloe needed to trust Dan with that matter, otherwise he wouldn’t stop prying.

“Chloe?” Dan warned.

“It wasn’t me who stabbed Pierce,” she sighed, her voice low.

“Lucifer?”

Chloe nodded in quick succession. “He’s a civilian, and I brought him into an operation involving a terror cell. He killing Pierce may cause him many problems.”

“So he left,” Dan repeated, accepting the half-truth.

“Yes,” Chloe sighed.

“Think I owe him,” Dan clenched his jaws. “The captain’s right though. Would you have gone alone you’d be dead by now.” The unspoken revenge for Charlotte resonated in his words.

“Perhaps,” Chloe’s gaze turned distant at the reminiscence of a bullet hitting her chest, just a few inches to the seam of her vest.

Dan straightened and walked over to his desk. “Besides, Barrow started singing after the arrest warrant was issued and he got to know about the death of his boss.”

“Great. That makes things easier.”

“Tell me if you need any help,” Dan handed her the folder of the interrogation.

“Thanks, Dan,” she smiled, for the first time since morning an honest smile, before she plunged into work to muffle her emotional confusion.

***

After another few hours, Chloe picked Trixie up from school. Her daughter wore sports gear since she was in her school’s rollerblades team.

Of course, she didn’t tell Trixie about the events of the day and tried to keep as normal as possible. Knowing that at some point, Chloe needed to inform Trixie about Pierce, she decided on making good for their postponed Taco Tuesday, and her daughter squealed with joy.

Once Trixie was in bed, Chloe retrieved her cell phone at which she had stolen several glances throughout the day. The display never changed. Lucifer had neither replied nor had he checked the message as the missing mark for read confirmation implied.

Chloe worried her bottom lip. She fathomed why Lucifer ignored her text. In the end, she wasn’t dull. He had told her the truth and struggled to keep his distance, afraid that he might hurt her someday with the reality, or she could get harmed by someone he wanted to protect her against. As with Pierce, Cain – human’s first murderer. And she had repeatedly dismissed the notion as one of his metaphors although the revelation had been right in front of her – Lucifer’s ability to elicit people’s deepest secrets, or him invulnerable when she got shot at the beginning of their partnership.

But it was so hard to believe in something which you couldn’t see with your own eyes.

Now that she truly saw him, he backpedaled. Pierce took away Lucifer’s choice. The incident forced her partner to reveal that scarred face. So far, she understood Lucifer hadn’t realized the change.

Her fingers fumbled around with the smooth surface of the screen before she dialed his number. The call setup implied that he hadn’t switched off his phone.

She waited.

“Hello. This is Lucifer Morningstar. Unfortunately, I’m busy at the moment, either at work or, more pleasant, in bed. If you want me to do a favor, please leave your message after the moan.”

Chloe squinted at his voicemail when she heard a woman’s moan. “It figures!” she shook her head. Yet, it soothed her to have listened to his velvety voice.

_You’re being an idiot! We really need to talk._

She typed away and slumped on her couch, curling into a ball. The display illuminated her face since she had turned the light off in the living room. Staring at the soft glow, she clung to hope that he might answer, but minutes ticked away, and she lost track of time.

At some point, her eyelids grew heavy until she finally succumbed to sleep.


	2. Guilt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m truly blown away by all your kudos and lovely comments, be it here on AO3 or on Tumblr. I haven’t expected that. Again, thank you all so much <3
> 
> If you want to catch up with me you also find me on [Tumblr](http://nymeria578.tumblr.com/). Since I’m getting the hang of writing again and working on my writing schedule, you’ll find some snippets about my upcoming WIP there in the future.

“Mommy,” Trixie shook gently her mother. “We’re going to be late.”

Chloe jolted up from the sofa, eyes wide as her consciousness caught up. “What time is it?”

“About time to leave,” Trixie waved a hand to their kitchen table where an empty bowl stood. “I already ate breakfast since you didn’t wake up.”

“Oh,” Chloe breathed. “I’m sorry, monkey.” She darted for the bathroom. “Give me a second.”

She brushed her tousled hair and secured it in a loose ponytail. To get rid of the last remnant of foggy sleep, she threw a handful of cold water into her face. After drying off, Chloe inspected herself in the mirror. A slight red painted rings under her glazed eyes, the events of yesterday still prominent in her features.

Shaking the weariness off, she pulled herself together. She had a daughter who needed her to be stable. As the thought struck her, she looked down her rumpled self. She still wore the clothes from the day before and groaned. So she hurried into her bedroom and changed into a new pair of denim pants with a white button down. One quick look into the mirror proved that her disheveled appearance had been corrected until she glimpsed the golden necklace, once bestowed to her by Lucifer, on her nightstand. She padded across the bedroom where she had discarded the accessory once Pierce alluded to his unwanted connection to her partner.

That was over now.

A fond smile curled around her lips at the memory when Lucifer made her a present of the bullet that once grazed his leg. The beginning of his vulnerability. She closed the clasp of the necklace, determined to never take it off again.

Before she shrugged into her gray jacket, she detected her cell phone on the couch. Unlocking the screen, she found a disappointment settling into her stomach since Lucifer still hadn’t replied.

She slipped the phone into her jacket pocket, fingers brushing along the feather. The contrast of the caress as she stroked the vane was palpable – softness and crusted blood. A sudden fear bloomed in her chest. What if Lucifer did not answer because he was severely injured?

No. She shoved that dark thought into the farthest corner of her mind. Although he had fought, Lucifer left the crime scene unscathed beside those many plucked feathers.

What would forensics think about all those feathers?

“Mommy,” Trixie shouted from the door, ready to leave.

“Oh, yeah,” Chloe jolted up from the sofa. “Coming.”

She drove her daughter to school, and once Trixie was in the building Chloe tapped the wheel of her car with a nervous thumb. What should she do now?

_At least please tell me you’re okay._

He still hadn’t checked the other messages, and she stared at her screen as if through her sheer will he would finally read her texts.

After ten minutes nothing had changed. She rested her forehead on the wheel, the necklace dangling in front of her face. The gold sparkled with the reflection of the sun. Somehow, it calmed her mind, and she collected her thoughts. What would Lucifer do?

_Maze_.

But as soon as the thought came to her, she dismissed it. As of late, her friend acted a bit strange. And her disagreement with Lucifer didn’t help in that matter. That was when her brain caught up, realizing that Maze actually was a demon from Hell… and they even shared an apartment.

“Oh my…” she mouthed and swallowed the last word. This also showed her the conflicted nature of faith. Demons and the Devil himself were meant to be evil. But Maze and Lucifer, although having their flaws, hurt no one who didn’t deserve it.

_Linda_.

As his therapist, Lucifer might have contacted Dr. Martin. With more force than necessary, she rammed the ignition key into the slit and started the engine.

Linda’s office was in Beverly Hills. More often than not a curse slipped from her mouth while she wound her ways through the city at snail’s pace which took her over an hour. Now and then, her eyes flitted to her phone in the hope of an incoming message that didn’t come.

After parking the car, Chloe grabbed her phone and ran for Linda’s office. She didn’t even knock, just entered the office, completely winded, to find… a stranger. On Linda’s couch sat a middle-aged man in a gray two-piece suit, shoving his glasses up his nose, startled at the sudden interruption.

Chloe furrowed her brows. But what had she expected? To find Lucifer here?

“Chloe?” Linda’s surprised voice made her tear her gaze to her friend.

“Linda, I…” Chloe stuttered, dumbfounded at her own behavior. That wasn’t her. Storming heedlessly into offices. “I’m sorry.”

Linda rose from her chair, straightening her navy-blue dress. Her surprise faded to worry. “What’s up?”

“Nothing,” a tentative smile flickered over her face. “I’ll just wait outsi…” choking on the last word, she pointed toward the anteroom.

After closing the door, she heard Linda speak to her patient, “Excuse me for a second.”

With the back to the office, Chloe listened to the sound of the door being shut again. She folded her palms, fingers interlacing until the knuckles turned white. “I’m so sorry I interrupted your session.”

“It’s okay.” Linda put a reassuring hand on Chloe’s shoulder. “What happened?”

Chloe took a deep breath to strengthen her nerves and turned around. “Lucifer killed Pierce.”

Shoulders sagging, Linda’s eyes widened in shock, rendered speechless. “Oh?”

“It’s not that,” Chloe waved a hand to assuage Linda’s apprehension. “Pierce attacked us, nearly killed me.”

“Oh!” Linda’s tone turned sharp, a knowing nuance to the sound.

“Officially, I killed Pierce in self-defense,” Chloe tossed in.

“And you can’t cope with Lucifer having killed Pierce? I understand he’s your ex-fiancé,” Linda jumped to conclusions.

“No,” Chloe struggled for words. How would she explain her friend of what she saw? Scorched skin and eyes flashing in crimson like hellfire? Linda was a therapist after all.

Sighing, Linda stepped forward and took Chloe’s hands into her own. “What happened?”

Fresh tears threatened to well up. “I think I hurt Lucifer. Like really hurt him.” This was the last step of completely understanding her own feelings, Chloe realized before a sob shook her.

“Oh honey,” Linda empathized, drawing her lips into a thin-lipped smile. Since she was Lucifer’s therapist, she certainly knew more about him than Chloe. “You want to talk about it?”

“No, I want to talk to _him_.”

Linda heaved a sigh of relief. “Thank goodness! Finally, someone’s sane enough to make the right decision.”

Chloe huffed a small laugh, sensing the tension slip from her now that she could be open about her feelings. She withdrew her hands from Linda’s grasp and threw them in the air, despair overcoming her. “But he doesn’t pick up or reply.”

Linda tilted her head. “That’s odd for Mr. Ten-thousand-words-a-day.” Turning therapist, Linda scrutinized Chloe with a frown. Although she seemed to have arrived at her own conclusion, she didn’t probe further into the matter. “Well…” she drawled, “You have access to his penthouse, haven’t you?”

“Yes,” Chloe hesitated at the suggestion.

“At some point, he must come home.” Linda shrugged as if this was the simplest rationalization in the world. “Why don’t you just drop by?”

“Oh,” Chloe’s heart skipped a beat. The reason she didn’t consider visiting him was fear. Not that he frightened her, but she worried that she might commit another mistake. At phone it was only his voice that might distract her. Preferably, she would stick to texting. Then she could ponder her words before stumbling into the next chaos.

“Chloe,” Linda’s warm voice ripped her from her agitated rumination, a heartfelt smile on her lips as if knowing exactly what was going on in her friend’s muddled head. “He’s the most stubborn man I’ve ever met. If you won’t make the first move, you’ll wait all eternity. Just drop by!”

Linda’s glasses flashed with the invading sunlight, and suddenly Chloe understood that her friend knew more about Lucifer than she assumed. Sucking in her breath, she nodded in quick succession. “All right.”

Linda grabbed both her shoulders, squeezing to encourage her. “Good girl.”

As an afterthought, Chloe checked her wristwatch. “I need a babysitter.”

“I can pick up Trixie from school after work,” Linda suggested, then scoffed in a lighthearted mood, “God knows, when Lucifer will turn up.”

Chloe couldn’t help but hug Linda and whispered, “Thank you.”

“Oh, don’t get me wrong. I’m doing this because off selfish reasons. Lucifer’s a patient for a while now, but this might rid myself of one of his most prominent conundrums.”

Chloe huffed a laugh, “Thanks anyway!”

The drive back to the Hollywood Boulevard took her another hour due to sealing off some streets for a film shooting, and the sun was way behind the zenith.

Wasting no second thoughts, Chloe walked into the elevator. She entered the passcode for the penthouse, the cage driving her past the floor for Lux to the top apartment of the building. Her ears popped at the height when a ding announced her arrival.

Heart racing, her hand cupped the downy feather that still lingered in her jacket pocket. Once the doors slid open, she took a tentative look into the penthouse before stepping over the threshold.

It was quiet. No music, no television, no grand piano, no clinking of glasses. Chloe’s spirit sank.

Lucifer wasn’t at home.

A faint memory of his furnishings covered with white blankets crossed her mind. Once again, fear settled into her chest, a cold constriction that made it difficult to breathe. The only sound that reverberated in the room were of her heeled boots that clicked on the marble floor.

She passed the bar to her right, striding to the middle of the apartment where she could get a view into his open bedroom. The blanket was neatly folded, indicating that Lucifer might not have come home since yesterday.

His walk-in closet provided more evidence of his absence. The sight comforted her since his suit cases stood at the far corner of the wardrobe, unpacked. She stroked his bespoke suits. The softness of the worsted wool dragged her to a time when she was able to touch the man behind his armor.

Chloe exhaled a shaky breath. “You must come home at some point.”

Till then, she needed to kill time or else she might go insane with worry. Not until then did she realize that she hadn’t eaten yet. So she shed her jacket on the sofa and walked over to the bar in the hope to find something edible in the fridge.

Besides a few champagne bottles, she actually found food – remnants of a steak and a salad. She took the plate and heated it in the microwave concealed behind the counter. When the chime rang out, she set the plate onto the bar. The steak smelled good, and a rumble in her stomach implied how starved she was. Digging into the meal, she contemplated how she should approach Lucifer. From previous conversations, he had indicated that his appearance could change. He once wanted to show her his scarred face, but the transformation didn’t work. What did it mean now that he could turn into the Devil again? Could he change back? Maybe that was why he stayed hidden?

The many questions made her feel dizzy.

After eating, she dumped the dish into the sink and rinsed it clean. And what to do now? Here she was in a penthouse worth several millions and didn’t know what to do. She turned around to stare at the glass shelves full of expensive spirits. Two fingers of whiskey didn’t seem so bad an idea.

She studied the labels on the many bottles. Clueless about this kind of alcohol beside beer, she grabbed a high-priced bourbon. The brand implied that it had been imported from Ireland. She filled an Old-fashioned glass and sipped gingerly. The alcohol didn’t burn in her mouth like the whiskey she got during parties at college. Instead the amber liquid warmed her throat and stomach, eliciting a tingling sensation.

To chase the taste, Chloe rolled her tongue over her bottom lip and strolled to the Steinway grand in the middle of the room. The lid stood open, inviting her when she remembered the one time she played with Lucifer – _Heart and Soul_. A warm smile flickered over her lips, and she set the glass onto the piano next to an abandoned ashtray.

Her fingers stroked the white and ebony keys, their smooth surface cool to the touch. The first notes echoed through the penthouse, and her head complemented Lucifer’s part as he once did. Funny, how the Devil engaged in music with his heart and soul.

In view of the Devil being evil, Lucifer was anything but. Of course, he had his flaws, especially understanding human feelings. And all his excessive living, no matter what, seemed to come from the discord with his Father. No. Chloe was sure, Lucifer had a heart and a soul. As he himself had once explained, he was a punisher. At cruel injustices, he tended to overstep the mark, and fury got the better of him. But despite his prancing and arrogant behavior, he had indeed a gentle soul.

She took another swig and emptied the glass. A fuzzy feeling settled into her stomach, and she poured another two fingers. Since her childhood piano lessons’ abilities were limited, she walked to Lucifer’s small library, studying the spines of his books. Some of them seemed ancient according to their condition with flakes of leather rubbed off the covers.

After the second Old-fashioned, Chloe felt the fuzzy sensation rise to her head. She cursed under her breath, and put the glass into the sink. The lack of good sleep last night after all the events merged with alcohol blurred her vision. Dazed, she looked out of the windows to the balcony, noticing the slow setting of the sun.

Would Lucifer really show up? How long should she wait?

But in this particular condition now, she couldn’t drive home. Heaving a sigh, she picked up her jacket from the sofa and strode to the bedroom. “Might as well sleep here.”

She flung the gray jacket to the other side of the bed, pulled the blanket back and curled into a ball. The pillow smelled of Lucifer, a mix of his fresh woodsy fragrance blending with his very own scent. She buried her head into the softness and inhaled deeply. Drowsiness aside, for the first time, she acknowledged to herself that she missed Lucifer before she succumbed to slumber.

***

Her sleep had been fitful like last night. Pictures of Marcus spun her dream, his face brutally calculating and emotionless as he ordered to shoot Lucifer. This frightened her more than the defaced skin and crimson eyes of Lucifer.

Who had been the monster?

She tossed from side to side until a muffled noise dragged her from her subconscious mind into awakening. A clinking of glass from the bar made her eyelids slid open. The first she recognized was the darkness outside of the window. Night had fallen, only the twinkling dots of the skyline sought a contrast to the gloom.

A subdued warm light drew along the walls, illuminating Lucifer’s bedroom. Chloe’s heart began to race when she heard a whisper of clothes at the step to the dais. Her gaze was drawn to the windows once again, the dim glow in the room turning the glass into a mirror.

“Wakey Wakey,” a murmur.

In the pane, Chloe saw Lucifer standing in his two piece suit and a white dress shirt. He took a swig from a tumbler and pursed his lips at the smooth flavor. Lips framed by a well-trimmed stubble with pale skin underneath.

“Usually, I don’t find Detectives in my bed,” a shy smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.

At this, she whipped around. “Stop it!” she snapped, not in the mood for one of his little banters. His salacious humor spoke of tentativeness. Once he couldn’t cope with his feelings, he backed down to safer grounds. In his case, this meant to withdraw into self-deception. But she wanted the real Lucifer, the one she could glimpse at on a few occasions. No beating around the bush.

At her sharp demand and her piercing eyes, he averted his gaze and put the tumbler down on a nightstand. “I’m sorry.”

He looked disheveled, hadn’t changed his clothes after the events of yesterday. Chloe found a few little holes in the crisp white dress shirt. Instead of folded and neatly tucked in, the red handkerchief hung from its pocket. Once the initial wave of anger had been washed away, she struggled for words, didn’t know where to begin. “I’ve sent you messages.”

He nodded, slow, and clasped his hands in front of him, still avoiding her intense gaze.

“Lucifer, please, look at me,” Chloe pleaded, unnerved.

At last, he locked dark brown eyes with her. “I ignored your texts. Needed time to think and heal.”

Shoulders sagging, Chloe asked, “Because of me making you vulnerable?”

“I’ve never lied to you,” Lucifer emphasized.

“No, you didn’t.” She now understood the full extent of his words. “Sometimes the truth is the best lie, isn’t it?”

“All at my Father’s amusement.” Nostrils flaring, he huffed a sarcastic laugh. “Tell humans the truth and they’ll never believe you.”

Chloe shifted forward to the edge of the bed, grabbing her jacket to pull it into her lap. “I want to see them.”

A frown furrowed his brows in an unspoken question.

She slipped her hand into her jacket pocket to close her fist around the rumpled feather. Fingers trembling, she held out her hand to uncurl her fist. “Your wings,” her voice broke at the word.

His eyes widened at the blood-smeared feather. He took a step backward and shook his head, face folded in agony. “Chloe, please, don’t…” His Adam’s apple bobbed, unable to finish his plea.

Tears blurred her sight. She asked him neither for further proof of his divinity nor sensational curiosity. “I want you to…” She knew he was hurting because of her. Because he saved her life. Exchanged his immortality for her. Lost his humanized self.

_Because of her_.

She didn’t want him to hide his true being again. A single tear dropped onto her cheek and streamed down the fine line along her nose to the corner of her mouth. “I want you to show me… to take off your shirt and show me your wings, Lucifer.”

Chloe expected another argument with the man who had always the final say. Instead, he leaned forward, reached out with trembling fingers to trail the watery streak before shrugging out of his jacket to let it pool around his feet. The shot holes in his dress shirt more prominent now, Chloe noticed the missing blood. Contrary to the downy feather, there was no single drop of red.

Lucifer looked down his chest as he pushed a button through its matching hole. “The wings are celestial. It doesn’t matter whether or not I remove my clothes,” he mumbled, trying to hide the despair in his voice.

“Since when are you a puritan?” A thin-lipped smile flickered across Chloe’s face. Not only did she want to examine Lucifer’s wings but also those twin scars stretching along his back.

He tried for a smug chuckle, but failed when he slid the white cotton over his shoulders and fumbled with the cuffs to free his arms. Once the wrists were rid of their imprisonments, the dress shirt followed the jacket to the floor.

Chloe’s mouth dropped a fraction at Lucifer bared torso. She had expected at least breached skin even if no blood had been shed. But all she saw, was the smooth pale expanse of his chest. She drew a sharp breath. “Show me.”

Lucifer clenched his jaws as his eyes fell on the feather in Chloe’s petite hand. He straightened and rolled his left shoulder. A sickening sound of breaking bones reverberated in the bedroom while a feather-covered bone appeared behind him, growing inch by inch until it popped into its place as an extension of his shoulder blade.

Lucifer grunted, his features contorted with obvious pain as he repeated the procedure with his right shoulder. It must hurt, and Chloe gasped. She rose from the bed. The downy feather floated to the floor, forgotten, when her hand flew to her mouth.

The few remaining feathers were mostly bloodied, but from the bone which carried most of the weight still oozed crimson red.

Chloe took a step forward, and Lucifer tensed, wings further expanding. Fear settled into her stomach as she reached with a shaky hand for a perforated wing. Lucifer, however, evaded the caress. At the movement, further feathers plummeted, dusting the floor with white and sullied red softness.

“You said you needed time to heal?” Shocked at the sight of the still wounded wings, Chloe winced.

“Yes,” he groaned, the suppressed pain distinguishable in his strained voice. “Obviously, they won’t heal.”

“Why?”

“Because of my guilt,” a sardonic huff escaped his lips.

Chloe swallowed. “It was self-defense.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Lucifer shrugged his shoulder and the wings once again receded into his back. “Angels aren’t supposed to kill humans. It’s an unspoken law.”

“But Pierce would have killed you,” Chloe couldn’t believe in such a principle.

“And yet, I chose to kill him instead of incapacitating him,” Lucifer spoke through clenched teeth, fury still boiling under the surface. “As a mortal human Pierce was much weaker than I, but I _wanted_ to kill him.”

“Because he hurt me?” Chloe saw a flicker of smoldering red in Lucifer’s eyes.

“Yes,” nostrils flaring, he admitted the truth. Lucifer had once confided in her that he liked to punish those who deserved the penalty. But he never exceeded the line of killing somebody. The raw honesty caused her breath to hitch as she realized that Lucifer wanted Cain in Hell to get the punishment he deserved.

A faint red glow began to spread over his exposed skin, mottling with much darker hues. Lucifer’s eyes sparkled now, ablaze with an eternal inferno, his flesh lucent with boiling flames beneath. A firestorm rampaged within him, coiled like thorny tendrils which wanted to burst forth as a result of his guilt. Scarred tissue threatened to distort his features, betraying the Devil face.

Chloe, not repulsed by the garbled mask, but by the twisted agony of this cruel fate, lifted a hand to cup his cheek. Once again, as a long time ago, Lucifer intervened and grabbed her wrist to stop her. “Don’t!” he warned. Astonishingly, his grip on her felt cool to the touch. Although Lucifer’s skin literally burned, it didn’t singe her.

And then, understanding dawned on Chloe. “You’re doing this to yourself. Like self-punishment.” His eyes widened at the truth. “You’re chastising yourself.”

His grip loosening, she pressed against his strength to cup his cheek, just a feathery caress.

Lucifer closed his eyes and took a shuddering breath, leaning into the touch. The blazing wrath within him retracted by the warmth of Chloe truly seeing him. Beneath her fingers, the tingle of his stubble returned while the flames subsided.

Her hand stroked around his head, combing through soft tousled hair to pull him down into an embrace. Slowly, his pale skin shimmered through the conflagration. He gave in, arms encircling her petite form and bending forward to rest his chin between her shoulder and neck.

“I’m sorry,” she sobbed. “I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

Chloe sensed him shaking his head against her neck.

“You think you’re evil because of your deed. But I’ve met you. You’re so much more than the accumulation of flaws. Your moral consciousness helps you define of what is good and evil. Sometimes the lines between them blur.” The words gushed from her mouth. She disentangled from their embrace to cradle his head with both her hands. Her blue gaze locked with his dark brown. “No one’s infallible, Lucifer!”

He huffed a sarcastic laugh. “You haven’t met my Father.”

Brows furrowing, she took the words in, still unaccustomed to the dichotomy’s conception of Heaven and Hell being true. “I don’t care that you’re the Devil. But I do care that you’re Lucifer Morningstar.” Chloe straightened and waved her finger in a circle. “And now turn around.”

The muscles in his arms twitched with tension as he understood her intention. Once, he had denied her to see those long scars that covered most of his back, let alone touch her. They were two marks of another kind of vulnerability. Not the kind of Chloe being able to actually make him bleed, but on an emotional level – a sign of his Father’s design and Lucifer’s obstinacy.

By now, he knew Chloe wouldn’t allow him any further secrets or self-deception. She wanted no barriers between them anymore.

So he turned around.

She gasped at the gnarled flesh. This wasn’t just a scratch or a stab. While removing the wings, the skin around must have excised as well, let alone the breaking of the bones that protruded from Lucifer’s shoulder blades once he unfurled his divinity.

It must have hurt like hell.

A tentative hand reached for the scarred expanse. Her fingertips brushed a feather-light line along the outline of one scar, the contrast to Lucifer’s unscathed velvety skin so much palpable. “Why did you do this to yourself?” she whispered, afraid that her voice might break the spell, and Lucifer would once again flee, turn inward to protect the thin wall to his emotions.

His breathing had grown laboriously before he looked over his shoulder. “To pry away from my Father’s grip.”

“Did it help?” Instead of her fingers, she pressed her cheek against his back, arms snaking around his chest.

Muscles tensing, he held his breath at the sudden intimacy. “No.”

When he didn’t elaborate, Chloe decided not to probe further and closed her eyes, relishing the sensation of being near him. 

Time ticked away, and Lucifer gradually relaxed in her embrace. His hands came up to palm her underarms, burying his nose into where their bodies connected. “I’m tired.” The rumbling of his voice that broke the silence reverberated through his back, and at first, Chloe assumed he meant the never-ending controversy with his Father. But when he disentangled her arms, she understood he actually needed sleep since he hadn’t come home the day before. Although he separated from her hold, he kept her hands in his while turning around to meet her gaze.

“Then let’s go to bed.”

A reminiscence of the old Lucifer flicked over his face as a shy yet playful smile tugged at his lips. “Not so sure if I get my much-needed sleep then.”

Chloe stifled a grin at the innuendo and smacked him against his chest. “Oh, come on. Responsible adults can sleep in one bed together without having sex.”

“Pity!” And then it was back, that smirk which made his dark eyes dance with twinkling mischief.

Despite his half-hearted objection, he toed his shoes off. Before Chloe realized what he was about to do, he opened the button to his fly and pulled down the zipper. In one fluid motion, Lucifer shoved down his black pants along with his socks, until he stood in his bedroom only clad in a snug pair of boxer briefs.

Rendered speechless about his sudden half-nudity, Chloe looked down her own clothes.

“Oh,” he sighed. “Responsible adults. Got it.” That said, he padded to his walk-in closet, just to return a few seconds later with a dark blue pajama jacket. “Given our difference in height, this should cover enough to preserve modesty.”

Chloe couldn’t help but snort after Lucifer pressed the sleek material into her hands. To give her privacy, he strode to the other side of the bed, occupying himself with plumping up the pillows before lying down. The gentleman he was, he rolled onto his side, facing the window.

Biting her lip to stifle a chortle, Chloe unbuttoned her shirt, knowing very well that Lucifer could see her in the reflection of the pane, like she could when he entered the bedroom. She wasn’t prude after all. However, to show a little decency, she left on her undergarments.

As Lucifer had correctly estimated, the shirt tail of the pajama jacket measured down to her thighs. The silk felt cool to the touch and smelled of the man himself. Before following Lucifer under the blanket, she freed her hair of the scrunchie.

The mattress dipped under her weight, gentle and embracing, as she scooted over to Lucifer’s side. After what they had been through, she wouldn’t allow any distance between them anymore. So she snuggled up to Lucifer’s back, heat seeping through the thin silk. Chloe’s arm entwined his chest where he tenderly interlaced their fingers and pressed her hand against his heart.

“Responsible adults?” Lucifer teased once again.

“Yep,” her face nestled between his shoulder blades, muffling her affirmation. “Sleep now.”

“Goodnight, Detective.”

Beneath her hand, Chloe sensed the strong heartbeat, a rhythmic thunder in Lucifer chest, and she wondered why immortals had a heart. Not just any immortal, but the Devil. From a biological point of view, no heart was necessary. But from a philosophical stance the heart stood for the good deed in one’s life, bearing the soul.

Lucifer wasn’t evil. All the time in Hell, he only encountered souls rotten to the core. How would he have understood what love is? His Devil face only rendered his emotional pain visible. A punishment he inflicted on himself which still didn’t make him evil.

_Hopefully, he’ll understand this one day_. Chloe felt Lucifer’s throbbing heartbeat slowing down, implying that he had succumbed to his exhaustion.

The steady rhythm lulled her to sleep, peaceful and dreamless.


	3. Becoming

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here comes the last chapter. Again, I’m truly grateful for all your kudos and lovely comments <3

Light seeped through her eyelids, screwing them up at the impertinent intrusion. Her consciousness still floated between the spheres of awakening and sleep. Disoriented, her eyes fluttered open. Bright sunlight met her gaze, and she blinked until her sight adjusted to the intensity.

Above her head, she beheld the stony walls with ancient depictions. Not until then did she realize where she was when a quiet snoring tore her attention to her right.

At some point in the night, they must have switched position since she had rolled on her back and Lucifer, seeking closeness, followed her, his chin nestling into the crook between her neck and shoulder.

The man felt like a furnace as he had draped his right leg and arm over her. His steady breathing indicated that he was still fast asleep, so Chloe carefully shifted to the edge of the bed.

A low groan deep in Lucifer’s throat evaporated in the room, but he didn’t wake up. Although her bladder called for attention, Chloe took the time to watch the man completely unguarded. Muscles slackened, he looked at peace with himself. All the restless and prancing energy had faded for a vulnerability he usually hid with dark humor.

The true Lucifer.

Extracting herself from the caring embrace, Chloe swung her legs over the bed. Reluctant to leave just for a few minutes, she lingered and stretched the numbness from her body before noticing the blinking light on her cell phone. A message from Linda.

_I take it that Lucifer showed up. I stayed with Trixie and bring her to school, but you need to pick her up later since I have appointments._

Glad to have such a precious friend, she locked the screen and padded to the bathroom.

After relieving herself, she tossed cold water into her face. Today, she looked much better with a good night’s sleep. The red rings under her eyes had vanished, but her hair was a mess, tousled with knots. In the search for a brush, Chloe rummaged Lucifer’s shelves crammed with expensive products.

A smile tugged at her lips when she noted the man’s meticulous tidiness in the organization of his products. Finally, she discovered a brush and while combing out her hair, she mused about the domestic feeling that settled into her stomach.

Upon her return to the bedroom, she found Lucifer in the middle of the huge bed, having rolled on his belly. He had kicked off the blanket. Obviously, the warmth had disturbed his slumber. Face buried into her pillow, he mumbled, “Thought you might have left.”

“Why would I do that?”

“Your spawn?”

“Trixie is perfectly safe with Linda.”

He grunted his response as he stretched his body to shake off the last remnants of sleep. Chloe mouth went dry, her tongue glued to the palate at the sight while his lithe muscles flexed under pale skin.

Instead of saying anything, she crawled back onto the mattress. Lucifer’s pupils had become black pools. He shifted to his side of the bed, making room for her. She felt his gaze roving over her lean form as she closed the distance between them.

“Good morning,” she husked.

His blown wide eyes twinkled, amused. “Normally, my _guests_ leave at the morning-after, wasting no words.”

“This turn of phrase implies a lot of alcohol and sex the night before.” Chloe retorted, propping her head on an elbow.

“Which we had not,” a crooked smile played around his lips. At his own safe playground of sexual innuendos, Lucifer relaxed and drew closer to the middle again. He rolled on his side, this time facing Chloe, and tucked a hand beneath his cushion.

“Nope.”

“Then there must be a reason of why you are indeed staying?” His hair, usually neatly combed back and held in place by many cosmetic products, had come undone. A tousled mess of curls framed the white cotton of his pillow like a dark halo.

Chloe rolled her tongue over her bottom lip. “Why indeed?”

Lucifer’s amused features fell, replaced by a deep frown. A grave silence followed her question which was meant to be seductive. Doubt settled into her stomach, dense and constricting while his hesitation twisted its way to the belief that she might have misunderstood his intentions.

When he saw concern in her eyes, Lucifer broke the silence. “Because my Father placed you here.” his British lilt became more apparent each time he seethed with anger.

Well… mentioning parents in bed with a potential partner wasn’t something she had expected. But this was Lucifer, and she frowned at his bitter tone. “Why would you think that?” Maybe God was omnipresent, but to be here right now with Lucifer had been her own free choice.

“Your parents couldn’t conceive a child.”

At this turnabout of a topic, Chloe squinted.

“My Father sent Amenadiel to bless them,” Lucifer continued. “Lo and behold, nine month later you’ve been born. This is no coincidence. My Father is rarely so lazy. You’ve been created to meet me and intermingle with my time being here. He’s omniscient after all.”

Chloe’s jaw dropped. “And to what purpose?”

“So he can force me back to Hell.” He clenched a fist against the bedsheet. “Your job is dangerous. Death lurks around every corner. He knows that I’d do everything to protect and save you. That’s the crux of the matter. If he would tell me, like actually _speak_ to me, that he’d keep you safe I would leave without blinking an eye.”

A tight ball curled in Chloe’s stomach as if she had been punched. She held her breath at the prospect that Lucifer indeed considered descending to Hell.

“But He doesn’t,” Lucifer hissed, full of despair. “All we have is… _guessing_. Predicting a future, only _He_ knows.”

Chloe’s thoughts ran wild, trying to find the missing puzzle piece to slot into the whole. Of course, she couldn’t unravel God’s purposes. That was a lot to take in. A child who never meant to be. But Lucifer’s deduction was rather biased and one-sided. She frowned and put a comforting hand over his strained fist. “But maybe you misinterpreted his intentions?”

His face softened at the touch, fist unclenching to interlace their fingers. He opened his mouth as though to speak, but Chloe interrupted him.

“No. Wait,” she shifted closer. “Your disagreement with… your Dad… your temper might blind you.”

Lucifer bristled, “He wanted to _kill_ me. Only because of my Mother’s intervention, He didn’t do it and instead kicked me out of Heaven.”

Shocked eyes widening, Chloe swallowed. That cast a poor light on God. Although this was eons ago, and Lucifer, according to what she knew from books, started the war, he couldn’t yet forgive his Father. An eternal punishment for both. “Then why doesn’t he speak to you?”

“Because it’s a game to Him,” furious tears filled Lucifer’s eyes, and he choked on the last word.

“No,” Chloe said, determined. “If speaking to you, promising you to keep me safe, would make you leave for Hell freely, then this is about choice. Your Father would get what he wants.”

“But He doesn’t speak to me,” Lucifer’s low voice bore the despair of his utmost wish.

“Because He wants you to choose.” Chloe shook her head, smiling despite herself that she was having this talk with the Devil. “What if He didn’t send me to meddle with your life, but made you a present?”

“The present of deciding my own fate?” doubt tinged Lucifer’s question.

“Yes.” Chloe reached for his clenched jaw to soften the tension.

“Then it’s still a cruel game,” he whispered. “I’m immortal and the Devil, and you… _Chloe_ …” his large hand cupped hers. “You’re mortal.”

Chloe sighed at his hint. Once she died, she would ascend to Heaven while Lucifer would remain on earth or descend to Hell. They would be separated for all eternity. Yet, something was nagging at the back of her mind. “What if even this is about our own choices?”

“The concept of mortality cannot be changed.”

“No,” she conceded. “But as I see it, you can decide on how you appear. What’s your true face, Lucifer?”

He looked taken aback. “Both.”

“You decided on this gruesome mask once you considered yourself to be a monster,” she paused, then smiled affectionately. “But you’re no monster. Your wings are proof enough.”

Lucifer shook his head in disbelief.

“You might have fallen, Lucifer, still you’re an angel. Although your Father cast you out of Heaven, He hadn’t taken your wings. With no wings, Hell would have become a prison to you, right? A punishment. But you imposed that chastisement on yourself. God left your choices to your discretion. As I said before, you’re not the Devil to me.” She took a deep breath as the words gushed from her mind. “Mortality aside, what if I _decide_ at one point to stay with you?”

Lucifer looked at her, aghast at the severity of such a decision. “That’d mean you’d give up Heaven.”

Her gaze turned intense. “Ask me?”

Horror slipping from his features, he frowned in amazement. “Ask you what?”

Not allowing him to back down once again, she smacked him against his chest, playful. “Don’t pretend you don’t know.”

In feigned hurt, he rubbed the place above his heart, dread and wonder flicking over his expression. For a moment, he considered his options. But in the end, he focused on her, deep brown eyes boring into her as he tilted his head. Fear had subsided for perpetual adoration. “Tell me, Miss Decker, what is it you most desire?”

A relieved smile curled her lips. “I want you to choose me instead of running away again because…” she drowned in that warm, devoted stare. “… Because I want to be with you for all eternity.”

His jaw dropped at the raw honesty. Before comprehending the full extent of Chloe’s words, a few seconds ticked away while Lucifer just stared at her. Under those scrutinizing gaze, she couldn’t help but fidget, panic growing on her that despite her wholehearted confession he might once again defy his emotions. But then, something glinted in those ethereal eyes as he chose his fate.

“Is that meant to be a proposal?” a mischievous grin spread over his face, a perfect white line of teeth flashing as he turned into his old self.

“Be careful what you wish for – you just might get it,” Chloe teased, drifting closer. “All that mediocre life.”

“Nevermore to meet those Brittanies and become a shoe?” Lucifer wrinkled his nose.

Chloe rolled her eyes at his mock-play. “I love you.”

At this, Lucifer faltered, the humor gone, and his breath caught in his throat.

When he didn’t respond, obviously shocked, Chloe closed the gap between them to place a feather-light kiss onto his plush lips. The unexpected caress tore him from his stupor, speaking against her mouth, “I love you, too.”

Letting his guard down, Lucifer slid closer for a better angle. His hand cupped Chloe’s jaw, thumb stroking her cheek in fervent admiration. She leaned into the touch and let herself guide down into the softness of a pillow. Lucifer hovering over her, kissed her back, mouth closed over her full bottom lip.

Chloe slid her eyelids shut to savor the moment. The sensation of his supple lips stood in contrast to his prickly stubble. Her hands cradled his face, fingers playing with stray black hair at Lucifer’s hairline. Everything felt multiplied, each sense increased a thousand-fold. His close heat seeped into her every pore and began to fan a flame.

Although Lucifer set the pace, kept the kiss chaste, Chloe encouraged him. Tongue flicking along his bottom lip, she probed further, and Lucifer took the hint. He slid the tip past her teeth to brush along the sharpness before they met. Wet strokes danced in a yet unaccustomed waltz.

Lucifer tasted of expensive Bourbon and faint cigarettes. Her grip in his hair tightened at the overwhelming sensation of such a passionate kiss as she cherished that unique flavor that was Lucifer’s very own. To not hurt his hairs, she loosened her grasp, one hand gliding down to his back where she felt the scarred skin on Lucifer’s shoulder blade.

An eternal reminder of his agony.

She slid his eyelids open to find Lucifer gazing at her while he savored her bottom lip. Dipping her head, she chased his tongue to suck at the tip, and he groaned. It was the most seductive baritone she ever heard from him.

Half-pushing with her hand on his back, and half-pulling, Lucifer climbed over her to lower his body. The naked torso seared her, kindling a firestorm in her stomach. She could feel his hardening cock, straining against the thin fabric of his boxer briefs.

Her hand roamed to the smooth skin of his flanks, lithe muscles squirming under the ticklish touch. Chloe would save that for later, inwardly smiling with mischief that she had found the Devil’s weak point.

While her fingers stroked further downward to the crest of his hipbone, he trailed kisses along her jaw to the soft spot of her pulse just beneath her ear. There, he closed his mouth over the carotid and sucked at the sensitive flesh. Her hand stopped her exploration and she gasped. A playful grin spread along her skin as Lucifer breathed a laugh.

He relished his feast once again before tracing the shell of Chloe’s ear with his tongue, hot breath searing her even more. Distracted by his ministrations of releasing her lobe with a scrape of teeth, Chloe forgot her own attentions.

Palming that sharp bone protruding from Lucifer’s hip, her fingers dragged along the elastic band of his boxer briefs until she dared to hook a thumb under the waistband. His cock, fully erect now, pressed against her thighs, and a ripple of goose bumps shivered over her body in anticipation.

“Detective,” he mumbled against the sensitive skin where her shoulder met her neck, before he braced himself on his elbows, each on either side of her head. Blown wide eyes locked with her, a mischievous glee twinkling. “Hell hasn’t frozen yet.”

“What?” she breathed.

“You once suggested you’d never have sex with me until Hell freezes over.” He rolled his tongue over his bottom lip. “Should I go down now?”

Chloe blinked, confused before her aroused state allowed her to remember their conversation at the beginning of their partnership. “Don’t you dare!” Her knees bending, she clasped his hip with the joints, and with an enthusiastic push of her hands Chloe flipped them over, pinning him down at the audacity to mock her.

“Detective?” Lucifer chuckled, amazed at her strength.

“Is that supposed to be dirty talk?” she stifled a grin.

“Certainly it is,” he murmured, lascivious eyes roving over her lightly clad body.

Due to her thighs clutching his hip, the pajama jacket unfolded a vee from the last button, flashing a peep of her creamy panties. Lucifer’s tongue darted over his upper lip at the sight, and his large hands cupped her knees. He slid them up, and Chloe swallowed. Her fingers started to push the topmost button through its hole before Lucifer patted them away.

“I like to unwrap my presents myself,” he tutted.

For better access, he flexed his muscles to sit upright. But before paying attention to get that sleek fabric off Chloe’s body, he stroked a stray strand of hair behind her ear and kissed her once again.

While deepening the kiss, he unbuttoned the pajama jacket. Lucifer took his time as each opened button exposed more pale skin. When his knuckles brushed along her bosoms, Chloe shivered and Lucifer marveled as he broke the kiss to gaze down her body. But instead of sliding down the silky material, a single finger stroked the delicate line of her necklace.

Weighing the bullet in his hand, he huffed a laugh, the innuendo heavy in the air before his glance fell on the maroon-colored lace of Chloe’s bra. He hummed his appreciation at the tempting lingerie. Under those wanton eyes, Chloe fidgeted, rubbing along his arousal to make him gasp.

“Detective,” he gazed at her in amazement. “You make me come undone. Usually, I’m the one in control of the act.”

With that said, he slid his hand under the silk and over her shoulders. The jacket pooled around her waist while she shrugged out of the sleeves, cool air kissing her bare skin. His mouth sought her jaw and licked to her throat as his deft fingers worked at the clasp of her bra.

And with a slight pop the strap yielded. Her hands cupped the back of his head, and he rested his forehead on her collar bone, looking down at her nude bosoms. “Even-stephen,” he breathed, his hot breath skimming her nipples.

His thumb swept along the underside of her breast, circling around the soft flesh before ducking his head to close his lips over that enticing peak. Another fiery wave coiled in her stomach and below. Lucifer’s tongue flattened against the supple pink as her nipple stiffened to press into the seductive caress. His other hand came up as well, fingers dancing around her other breast with teasing strokes, matching his wet attentions of his mouth as he circled his tongue around her aroused skin.

Chloe couldn’t help a moan as she stared down at how he worshipped her body. A twitch underneath her panties let her know Lucifer more than enjoyed his exploration. In response to his shudder, Chloe rolled her hips ever so slightly, and Lucifer groaned, hands gripping her waist before he mirrored his ministrations on her other breast.

At the overwhelming sensation, Chloe ground down and Lucifer hips answered with a snap. A wicked grin tugged at her lips as she once again rocked back and forth. Lucifer gasped for air, and she jumped at the chance, pushing him onto his shoulders into his pillows. Confused, he gazed with clouded eyes at her.

Her blond hair draped over her shoulders at the sudden motion, looking debauched, but at the corners of her mouth flickered a naughty smile. Now it was her time to appreciate the man, eyes roving over lithe muscles, flexing under her scrutiny. His body was painted in sunny golden hues like a canvas, and she was the admirer in an art exhibit.

Chloe swung her leg to the other one to kneel beside him. Her tongue licked along her upper lip as she made her mind and hooked her fingers under the waistband of his boxer briefs. Lucifer’s nostrils flared as understanding dawned on him. Arching his back, he lifted his ass and Chloe slid down the elastic fabric.

Lucifer’s cock, amidst a well-trimmed thatch of black hair, lay flush against his stomach, twitching at her curious eyes. He crossed his arms behind his head, raising an eyebrow. “Got an eyeful?”

Instead of answering, Chloe straddled him again, this time on his stomach to not touch his alluring length which would just distract her from her plan. Not yet.

She bent down and kissed that insolent smile before wandering with her lips over his soft stubble to his ear. “Got already an eyeful the first time,” she breathed and grinned against the shell. “… and the second time as well.”

A responding laugh bubbled up his throat, and Chloe chased that vibrating rumble at his Adam’s apple. Mouthing the ridge, she flicked her tongue against it and trailed a wet line to the small hollow between his collarbones. He moaned at her exploration, but it seemed more controlled this time as he relished the sensation.

After dragging a light scrape of teeth along his protruding collar bone, she wandered downward, mimicking his devotion as she closed her lips around his nipple. A hiss from above encouraged her tongue to circle the pink flesh.

Her hands roamed to his sides, feeling the distinct up and down of Lucifer’s ribcage. Carefully, she rose and shifted down on his thighs while her fingers trailed an enticing path. Her tongue mirrored the motion as she dipped the tip into the vale between his well-defined planes down to the navel.

Below the belly button, a thin strip of coarse hair drew a line to his crotch. Chloe rested her forehead against the flexing abdominal muscles, gazing at her goal when Lucifer propped himself up on his elbows. “Chloe,” he had realized what she was about to do. “If you pursue that particular idea, I’m afraid I might not last much longer.”

She stroked strands of hair from her face as she looked up, an impish grin stretching her lips, perfectly matching his usual self-confidence. “What did you once say about your stamina?”

Chloe didn’t wait for an answer. To kiss the tip of his cock, she lowered her head, tongue darting out to tease him. Overwhelmed by pleasure, he murmured something profane, head falling back into the pillow. His face became a mix of lust and agony.

Then she opened her mouth, encircling the velvety skin of his glans while another string of curses slipped from Lucifer’s lips. His tall figure arched at the sudden wet caress as Chloe’s tongue slid around the flared ridge. To restrain his rapid panting, he bunched his expensive bedclothes in a fist, and Chloe wondered if he really had been gone so far as to come undone.

She flattened her tongue against the underside of his shaft, tracing a prominent vein as she took him in as far as her gag reflex allowed. Lucifer squirmed below her. As she swallowed around him, pressing him against the roof of her mouth, his cock stiffened even more.

If Chloe could, she would have smirked at the man who had always teased her with confidence, his words mostly tinged with sexual innuendos. And now, he couldn’t barely contain himself as she rode his cock back into her mouth.

When the first trickles of his desire turned into a salty feast, she decided on mercy and let him slip free. His breathing had turned into ragged gasps, a harsh swelling and falling of his ribcage. Eyes squeezed shut at the intoxicating sensation, they now snapped open as Chloe crawled up his body to meet deep black eclipsed only by a thin ring of brown.

He reached for her head, raking his fingers through her long hair to pull her down for a fervid kiss, tasting himself on her tongue. His strong arms coaxed her to the side, lowering her gently onto the mattress, never breaking the voluptuous dance of their tongues.

His fingers stroked down her flanks, feather-light touches making her squirm before he mimicked her former exploration by digging his thumb below the waistband of her panties. “Tit for tat.”

A grin stretched against her lips, and Chloe opened her eyes to meet his intense stare. “This isn’t about returning a favor.”

“I know,” he kissed her nose before his impish smirk returned.

Lucifer slid down her petite body to remove that last layer of cloth that had separated them.

Shedding the small piece of lingerie on the floor, he crawled between Chloe's legs. A gentle hand lifted her foot, placing a tender kiss at the ankle. Lucifer inhaled her, peppering further kisses along her calf up to her thigh. His hand slithered around her leg to cup a cheek of her ass.

Chloe gasped as he squeezed a bit while his seducing mouth trailed the inside of her thigh. Her legs started to tremble when his tongue licked along the sensitive crease between her leg and upper body. The sensation was inebriating.

His left arm snaked up to her stomach, hand flattened against the planes while he drew soothing circles into her creamy skin. After assuaging the overstimulation, he lowered his head to kiss her folds.

A gasp turned into a moan, and Lucifer smiled against her skin. Nostrils flaring, he inhaled her once again, her scent beguiling and arousing before he dipped his tongue between her folds.

Chloe couldn’t contain herself anymore as the tip gingerly brushed over her most sensitive spot. She arched her back, heels of her feet digging into the mattress. Lucifer's grip on her ass supported her weight as she pressed into the intoxicating caress. To not lose the sense of reality, she carded her fingers through his hair and pulled some strands. At the plucking, he groaned, emboldened to flick his tongue ever so slightly over her clit in small circles.

Whereas a tingling fire had been before, an inferno roared now through her veins like molten blood. Fervor pooled into her stomach while Lucifer's exploration focused on her entrance, dipping the tip of his tongue into her slick heat.

Chloe threw her head back into the pillow and started to roll her hips. While Lucifer savored her, his large hand stroked up to cup a breast and rub a gentle finger over her nipple.

“Please,” Chloe begged, breathless, her voice hoarse. The word had tumbled from her mouth without actually processing what she pleaded for.

But Lucifer did.

He came up with a trace of peppering kisses and one last scrape of teeth over her nipple which made her writhe beneath him. His cock brushed her inner thigh when he lowered onto her to plunder her mouth once again.

Chloe tasted herself on his clever tongue when she heard him rummaging with one hand in the drawer of his nightstand without breaking the kiss. Curious about what he was up to, she turned her head as he retrieved a condom.

“Always the responsible Devil,” he mumbled against her ear, and she blushed. With Lucifer having so many sexual partners, he of course decided on safety.

For a moment, he sat back on his heels, ripping the foil apart to unroll the latex onto his length. He took a sharp breath and hissed at the tightness.

Chloe raised a leg and her feet massaged his thigh. She rubbed around his hip, her heel hooking into lithe muscles to push. Lucifer looked at her with a smug grin as he understood the hint. He grabbed the calf, stroked his hand up to her thigh, holding it tight around his waist while Chloe bent her other leg, foot flat against the mattress.

Shifting closer, he aligned his cock to her entrance.

Chloe bit her bottom lip as he ever so slowly pressed into her. Inch by inch, she engulfed him with heat. His free hand braced beside her shoulder for leverage when he was completely sheathed.

The slight soreness at the sudden intrusion took a moment to subside. Lucifer waited, a shy smile flickering over his face. Chloe reached up to cup his jaw and pulled him down for another passionate kiss. Hot pleasure already coiled in the pit of her stomach, thanks to Lucifer’s ministrations, so she lifted her other leg and wrapped it around his waist.

And then he started moving.

Desire tickled up her spine, electrifying impulses that made the hair at her nape stand upright. His forehead rested against her brow, eyes closed and mouth agape while his breath came in sharp little pants, matching his thrusts. The sore sensation blended into pleasure as the slickness spread inside her, rekindling the fire.

Another undulation of fiery hunger crept up, pooled into her stomach when she began to meet his thrusts in the rhythm of lust. While he rocked her with his strength back and forth, Chloe rolled her hips, intensifying the heat. Surely, her skin mottled in a blush.

When he gripped her leg tighter to lift her ass a bit, he hit her at a perfect angle.

Chloe gasped as molten blood raked like hot tendrils along her spine. Lucifer’s previous explorations had almost brought her to the point of tripping over the edge. A moan followed. But it arose from Lucifer, a rumble born deep in his throat, reverberating through her chest.

He opened his eyes, clouded gaze roving over her face while his thrusts spurred another wave of pleasure, and Chloe felt herself tightening around him. Lucifer stuttered as he pulled nearly all the way out of her before his hips jerked to ride his cock into slick heat again. His fluid motions became more erratic and he buried his face into the crook between her shoulder and neck, kissing and nipping at her soft skin.

Chloe mirrored him as she bit down into his shoulder. Her arms twined around his chest, nails digging into the smooth skin on his back and scraping along sinewy muscles until she dragged them over garbled flesh.

Lucifer hissed at the delightful pain and his hips snapped forward. He let go of her leg and his hand snaked between them, seeking the sensitive spot between her folds. Fire roared through her veins as if her whole body would combust. Chloe couldn’t help but roll her hips, pressed into the voluptuous touch as she chased the sweet moment of absolute desire.

Lucifer harmonized the caress of her clit with his thrusts, ecstasy fueling his uncoordinated stabs. He was close.

As was she. Tightness curled in her stomach while flames burned her from within. Her inner muscles clenched around him, carried him along her pleasure. Head falling into her neck, Chloe gasped as the heat consumed her. She arched her back, the foot of her bent knee digging into the soft mattress while she fell into the abyss of pure bliss.

Lucifer retrieved his hand to not overstimulate her and cupped her face. For a moment, he looked at her full of wonder before another ardent spasm made him resume his quivering thrusts. His forehead rested against hers, a slight sheen of sweat beading the skin. He clenched his teeth. A grunt from deep in his throat echoed in the bedroom as Chloe felt him harden even further, pressing against her inner walls to seek the much-needed friction.

And then he stilled, a shuddering breath trembled from his lungs as he melted with her to become one. Abdominal muscles fluttered against Chloe's stomach as Lucifer reached his own climax, buried deep inside her. Several gushes rippled through his body again and again.

He nearly collapsed on Chloe, his weight all of a sudden too much. Lazy fingers on his back stroked in soothing circles, giving him time to come down from the passion-filled high.

They relished the calm warmth enveloping them after a fiery storm, exhausted but comfortable. After a while, once the thin coating of sweat became cold, Chloe shivered. Lucifer wriggled a hand to the place where they were still connected to pull out. Carefully, he removed the condom. Before leaving for the bathroom, he pulled the duvet over her spent body and kissed her.

Chloe rolled onto her side and curled into a ball, a satisfied sigh escaping her mouth. The bed smelled distinctly of Lucifer and sex which caused a coy smile on her face. In the bathroom, she heard Lucifer splashing water to clean himself. At the lulling background noise, her eyelids grew heavy and dropped closed, not succumbing to sleep, but to ease the tingling sensation that still rippled her frame.

Bare feet padding over the tiled floor made her open her eyes again to find Lucifer marveling at her. Chloe brushed a strand of hair behind her ear and patted the mattress next to her. “This bed is obscenely big. To not share it would be a sin.”

He chuckled. “That’s the general idea.” Lucifer walked to the side and shoved the duvet aside before sitting down.

His back to Chloe, she couldn’t believe what she saw. A gasp evaporated in the air, and Lucifer looked over his shoulder to arch a quizzical brow. Ignoring his unspoken question, Chloe crawled to him. Fingers trembling, she reached out, unsure whether or not to touch.

Lucifer misunderstood her fear. “Don’t worry. Had it worse than a few scratch marks.”

“No.” Chloe insisted. “Your scars,” at last, she stroked over his back, causing a shiver with a fresh wave of goose bumps. “They're gone.”

“What?” His arm twined around his shoulder to reach the topmost breach of flesh, but his fingers only swept over smooth skin. “That’s impossible.”

“Your wings?”

Lucifer frowned, but understood her meaning. He got up and turned around to face her.

This time, with a quick roll of his shoulders, Lucifer's wings unfolded within a mere second. Chloe's jaw dropped at the sudden beauty. All the blood was gone, even the fracture with the big gush of red.

“But…” Chloe whispered with wide eyes. Slowly, she rose from the bed, holding out an asking hand. When Lucifer didn’t flinch, she touched the feather covered whiteness. A quiver made the feathers flutter, the silvery gleam glowing even brighter.

“Seems you were right,” Lucifer said, yet disbelief tinged his voice. “It's about choice. Unconsciously, I believe.” He unfurled his wings even further, now spreading them all over the bedroom. “You appeared grief-stricken by the scars.”

“I was since you caused yourself so much pain,” Chloe combed her fingers through satiny, long feathers to erupt another shudder in Lucifer. She loved it. “They're gorgeous.”

Lucifer scoffed, but let her explore these parts of his body.

Chloe ducked under one wing to see his back. Her fingertips trailed the junction where the wings grew from his shoulder blades. Hard ridges protruded from the bone. “Where do they vanish to?”

Lucifer tilted his head to gaze at her. “They’re celestial. They manifest at my will… mostly.”

And with another roll of his shoulders, his wings folded with a rustling of hundreds of white feathers to fade into nothingness as they merged with Lucifer. Fascinated, Chloe’s palm stroked over the smooth skin of Lucifer’s unscarred back.

Then, she took his hand and guided him to the bed where they tugged the duvet over their tired bodies. Legs entwining, they faced each other for a moment, and silence draped over the bedroom before Lucifer asked, “Don’t you have to go to work today?”

“Nope,” she grinned and snaked an arm around his waist. “Just need to pick up Trixie from school later.”

Lucifer wrinkled his nose, feigning his annoyance for human children.

“Oh, come on,” Chloe wanted to smack him on the shoulder, but he caught her wrist and kissed the knuckles.

Eyes gleaming with mischief, his tongue darted out to lick between her fingers. “Then we still have plenty of time.”

Chloe mirrored his smile, freed her hand to cup his stubbly cheek before she snuggled up for a gentle kiss.

Every restrained emotion poured into the kiss which didn’t mean to invoke another arousal, but all the love.

And when they parted, Lucifer looked at her in amazement. “You indeed were my becoming.” Then he tore his gaze up, the ceiling unseen, but the sky behind, and Chloe knew he was silently thanking his Father.

_Well, it’s a start_. And she smiled.

 

 

END


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